Daily Prayer At Saint Laika’s

OPENING PRAYER

O God, give peace to your world.
Give strength to the hearts of people.
Raise us up from death in Christ.
Give us to eat his immortality and his glory.
Give us to drink the wine of his kingdom. Amen.

( Thomas Merton )

CANTICLE

Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore,
masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more,
see, Lord, at your service low lies here a heart
lost, all lost in wonder at the God you are.

Seeing, touching, tasting are in you deceived:
how, says trusty hearing, that shall be believed?
What God’s son has told me, take for truth I do;
truth himself speaks truly or there’s nothing true.

On the cross your godhead made no sign to men,
here your very manhood steals from human ken:
both are my confession, both are my belief,
and I pray the prayer of the dying thief.

I am not like Thomas, wounds I cannot see,
but can plainly call you Lord and God as he;
let me to a deeper faith daily nearer move,
daily make me harder hope and dearer love.

O you our reminder of Christ crucified,
living bread, the life of us for whom he died,
lend this life to me then: feed and feast my mind,
there be you the sweetness people were meant to find.

Bring the tender tale true of the pelican;
bathe me, Jesu Lord, in what thy bosom ran;
blood whereof a single drop has the power to win
all the world forgiveness of its world of sin.

Jesu, whom I look at shrouded here below,
I beseech you send me what I thirst for so,
someday to gaze on you, face to face in light
and be blessed forever with your glory’s sight.

( Thomas Aquinas; translated by Gerard Manley Hopkins )

MEDITATION by Tim Madsen

The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth: jumping for joy

We read in the “Gospel of Luke,” chapter one, verses thirty-six to thirty-seven

“And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”

The angel Gabriel offers to Mary the pregnancy of her kinswoman Elizabeth, as proof that nothing is impossible with God. Perhaps Mary needed that reassurance. After all, Gabriel had just asked Mary to be the mother of the son of God.

So today, Saint Laika’s remembers that Mary made the trip up into the hill county, to visit Elizabeth, to see for herself whether the angel spoke the truth. Luke tells us that the visit was all Mary had hoped for and more.

Again from chapter one, this time verses forty-one and forty-two:

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb.

And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

There is such joy in their encounter. Two women chosen by God to advance God’s purposes at the fullness of time. An unborn child leaping for joy. This is a reminder to us of the joy that is ours when we invite God into our hearts and lives.

Jeanne de Chantal, founder of the Visitation Nuns in the seventeenth century said: “No matter what happens, be gentle with yourselves.”

INTERCESSIONS

We pray…

… for peace in the world.

… for pregnant women and their partners.

… that we may find a friend when we are in need of one.

… that we may meet Christ in the bread and wine of holy communion and know God through the commonplace stuff of his creation.

… for those addicted to tobacco products, especially for those who are trying to abstain from them. DETAILS

… for those who have died recently and for those who mourn their passing.

… for those who are unwell and for those caring for them.

… for those, both close to us and far off, who we hold in our personal prayers.

… for ourselves.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.

READING

From the writings of Mother Teresa of Calcutta:

Like Mary, let us be full of zeal to go in haste to give Jesus to others. She was full of grace when, at the Annunciation, she received Jesus. Like her, we too become full of grace every time we receive holy communion. It is the same Jesus whom she received and whom we receive at mass. s soon as we receive Jesus in holy communion, let us go in haste to give him to our sisters, to our poor, to the sick, to the dying, to the lepers, to the unwanted, and the unloved. By this we make Jesus present in the world today.

We cannot separate our lives from the Eucharist; the moment we do, something breaks. People ask, “Where do the sisters get the joy and energy to do what they are doing?” The Eucharist involves more than just receiving; it also involves satisfying the hunger of Christ. He says, “Come to Me.” He is hungry for souls. Nowhere does the Gospel say: “Go away,” but always “Come to Me.”

Our lives must be woven around the Eucharist. Ask Jesus to be with you, to work with you that you may be able to pray the work. You must really be sure that you have received Jesus. After that, you cannot give your tongue, your thoughts, or your heart to bitterness.

Put your sins in the chalice for the precious blood to wash away. One drop is capable of washing away all the sins of the world.

When communicating with Christ in your heart (the partaking of Living Bread) remember what Our Lady must have felt when the Spirit overpowered her and she, who was full of grace, became full with the body of Jesus. The Spirit was so strong in her that she immediately rose in haste to go and serve. Each Holy Communion, each breaking of the Bread of Life, each sharing should produce in us the same, for it is the same Jesus who came to Mary and was made flesh.

CLOSING PRAYER

Mighty God, by whose grace Elizabeth rejoiced with Mary and greeted her as the mother of the Lord, look with favour on all your lowly servants that, with Mary, we may magnify your name, and rejoice to acclaim her son, Jesus, as our saviour and lord. Amen.

May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

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The Saint Laika online Christian community is the sole (soul) ministry of the Reverend Jonathan Hagger and his only source of income. It is always a struggle paying for the upkeep of the Saint Laika website and Facebook page as well as having to find the money for living expenses. Jonathan relies on the donations of the friends of Saint Laika's who donate generously (some of them every month) to keep him afloat. At the moment (December 2015) he makes do on about £500 a month. He would love to double this so that he does not have to worry about unexpected bills and the like. Please consider supporting Jonathan's ministry either by making a one off donation when you can afford to or committing to a monthly subscription of your own choosing. You can also help by buying your Amazon products through the widgets below this post. It costs you no extra and Jonathan gets a reasonable commission on the value of your purchases. Thank you.

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